Page 34 - Holly Carney Issue (3)

The Wine Connoisseur

Put Some “Bling” into Your Summer Wine

By Deborah Damery Lazear, CSW

I love “Bling”. My husband knows this as a certainty. As a Allow me to quickly explain the difference between the
wine lover, my wine bling is in the bubbles. I simply adore world’s sparkling wines and Champagne. It is really not
sparkling wine from all over the world. Nothing says “chill all that complicated. Champagne is from the Champagne
out” like a glass of cold sparkling wine bubbles tickling your region of France…period. All other sparklers are not and
nose. do not earn the name Champagne. California is phasing
out the use of the word
Summer is the perfect Champagne to bow to the
time to branch out and try wine world’s opinion that
bubblies from all over the a place name belongs to
world. Sparkling wine is the place and not to the
consumed cooler than still wine style. Remember
white wine and the high California Chablis? There
acidity pairs wonderfully was nothing Chablis about
with warm weather fare. All it! The only similarity was
right, I confess, any time that Chablis, the place in
of year is great for bubbly. France, makes white wine
Heck, I consider Cham- and the color of the wine
pagne the number one in California Chablis was
breakfast food after eggs also white! The grapes
Benedict. It even beats out weren’t even the same!
34 chocolate much to my hus-
band’s chagrin. Sometimes Well, maybe this differen-
one just doesn’t get excited tiation is a little too simple.
over a familiar old friend Allow me to elaborate.
Chardonnay. While Pinot There are several meth-
Grigio (aka Pinot Gris) is ods of producing sparkling
a great summer choice, wine:
too many taste like lemon 1. Charmat or Cuve
water without any zing Close. This refers to an
whatsoever. I put too much inexpensive method of
effort into cooking to pair it allowing the second fer-
up with a ho-hum wine. mentation of a still wine,
through the introduction of
You have probably noticed additional sugar (dosage)
that I have used the word to occur in a large sealed
sparkling wine several vat. Examples are Asti
times now and Champagne Spumante from Italy and
only once. There is a Sekt from Germany.
distinct difference between 2. Carbonation. The
the two. Men and women cheapest method and
of the period 1789-1890 poorest in terms of quality.
died over the word. I know, Think soda bubbles here.
because the seat of the Still wine is chilled in large
revolution to guard the word tanks into which carbon
‘Champagne’ for sparkling wine (whose grapes are grown dioxide is pumped. The wine is bottled under pressure.
and vinified only in Champagne) was started by Rene La- 3. Method Champenoise. The most complex method
marre in the little village of Damery, in the region of Marne, of all and used by the finest houses over the world. After the
Champagne, France. My ancestors are from Damery; note first fermentation in stainless steel tanks, the still wine of high
my name at the top of this article. I come by my love of acidity is blended with other still wines (some of the same
Champagne honestly! year, some of older years) to create the blend. The wine is
then put into bottles with
July/August 2008